Waiting time for Prescriptions

[rygon]

I cant believe how long it takes to get a prescription. My doc has told me to go on azamwhateveritscalled, so he wrote out a prescription to take to my docs. Now this will be printed out by the nurses pretty much straight away then needs signing my my local GP. Handed it in Friday, wont be ready to collect until tuesday.

Same with repeat prescriptions, thought they gave you a slip to make it quicker to pick up yet I still have to wait minimum of 48hrs.

On a side note, theres a waiting period of a week now if you want to see a doctor at our practice, if you want to see your own doc then its 2wks. Had an appointment at 0830, didnt get seen till 0940 grrrr

Is this normal??

 

[Astra]

Yup

But you know what rygon, we are very lucky in this country to have the NHS even tho we slag them off all the time
I've been reading posts from people in US, Canada and Oz who are very ill, but have no insurance and have to pay a lot of money for their meds
We can still grumble tho, can't we?
Otherwise we wouldn't be Brits! lol xxx

 

[tamesis]

we have NHS in Canada.....we pay for our prescriptions, but not for Doc's visits, tests, etc.
What a process to get your prescription! My doctor just writes and signs it while you're there in the office, hands it to you, and you head to the pharmacy to get it filled....if they pharmacy has it you get it in about 20minutes, if noth, they order it in a few days.

 

[rygon]

Yeh we are lucky to have it but it could be made so much better if the procedures and paperwork was sorted.

We pay £7.50 per set of medicines so not bad. But they only give you enough for 1months supply. That means you have to go to the docs to hand the repeat prescripton in, then go back 3days later to pick up the proper prescription. As its medicine I take regulary I cant see why there isnt a system to automatically send the prescription to your home or at least allow you to ask for one without having to go in and hand the form to the receptionist (wont take it over the phone)

 

[mharvey90]

Here in the US, we STILL have terrible waiting times to see a doctor/get a medication approved, on top of everything else that is wrong.
Not only do I have to pay sometimes a $40 + copay for a doctor's visit, depending on the doctor and my current health insurance company, but then I'll get another bill in the mail stating that only 70% was paid for and I still owe x amount on top of my copay, etc etc. Emergency rooms are crazy expensive, don't even think about taking an ambulance unless you're straight-up dying. I'd rather walk to the hospital than pay the thousands of dollars that I'd get charged for a short ambulance ride.
Also, regarding wait times...if I am not deathly ill, sometimes I have to wait many weeks/months to be able to see my doctor. Also, when I was feeling like I was on my death bed last spring, my doctor wanted me on Remicade. I waited 5 weeks for my insurance company to decide whether or not to approve me, and in the end I was denied anyways. And I paid the full amount for 4 infusions until I developed an allergic reaction. With the amount I needed it ended up being about $4000 per infusion...my dad and I are still trying to pay that off. It's a huge mess here.

So from what I hear, I would give anything to have something like NHS

 

[stella_luna]

Yeah. It's only March and this year I've already paid about $3000 for doctor's visits, meds, etc., and I have insurance . . . which I pay $500/month for. And I have to make an appt. 6 months in advance for my GI doc, and wait 3 hours or so once I get there. The health care system is so horrible in the US I can't even tell you (well, let me amend that . . . the quality is excellent, the expense and access are atrocious). You are SO fortunate in Europe and Canada, you can't even imagine.

 

[Misty-Eyed]

Well there are NHS regulations about doctors appointments. At ours they have a set number of pre bookable appointments for each doctor per day and once they are gone you have to call at 8.30am on the day you want the appointment to make one.

I did very briefly work at another GP surgery where they had to leave a set amount of appointments in 48 hours time rather than on the day booking. You certainly shouldn't have to wait a week to see someone. I think that's pretty much against NHS regulations. I'd talk to the practice manager if I was you.

Also regarding the prescriptions, ours does them over email now which helps. I just try and get them put in as far in advance as possible. It's getting routine blood tests that I find a pain!

But yes, we are lucky to have it all free. Some people can only dream of going to see a doctor for free or even without filling in 10 thousands forms to do so!

 

[can1991]

Hi, I feel very fortunate to have Free Health Care here in Canada! I am now working full time w/health plan !!! I pay $160 a month and my employer pays that also! I get all my meds for $15/ prescription.

 

[GoJohnnyGo]

I get 100 percent reimbursment for my medications through work. Same deal with physiotherapy.

I shouldn't complain.

 

[Astra]

Hi Rygon
Yes that is a pain in the crack, only getting a months supply of meds, I agree, and for long term sick, that should be addressed

My practice is like Mistys, appointments pre booked, and scripts by e mail
But thank god we dont have to pay for an ambulance, could you imagine getting a bill for that!

 

[GoJohnnyGo]

Ambulances are billed where I am. That's one thing they ding ya for.

 

[Misty-Eyed]

lol they do charge for an ambulances, Astra, if they deem it not needed. Which is fair enough!

 

[gibby]

mmm i am sooo thankful for the NHS but only at certain times
Its not too bad, my GP still has prebookable appts but if you want to see a specific doc they can sometimes be booked up all week, but if its just to order them to write a px then its not bad. Plus i get a prepayment certificate for my meds, i pay like around 15 pounds for a 4 month certificate which covers all prescriptions within that period, so i can get as much as i like! pretty good. i can email my surgery with my repeat px and they pass it on to the chemist so i dont even need to make 2 trips, i just go to the chemist and its there ready to pick up.
may be worth looking around at different practices if you are having problems.

Just spent time over in NewZealand which wasnt too bad either, to see a GP you need to pay like $30NZD per visit then $10 for them to write your prescription, but you got a three month supply and you only needed to pay $3 per item at the pharmacy. And if you got treated via the Emergency Dept or got a public referral to the GI teams your gastro care and folllow up is free. You do need to pay for ambulancesetc though but as long as you had insurance you were fine.

America seems to be really difficult for healthcare, i feel heart sorry for you guys especially when it comes to justifiing to the insurance companies about your treatment. nasty stuff.

thanks for a reasonable health system, despite all the drama its been causing me recently!

 

[Guestly]

My gp is very popular, so unless I am on the phone at 8am sharp his appts that day will be snaffled up.

He also spends time with people, really listens, so it's not unusual to wait at least an hour after my appt time to see him. However, last time I saw him he listened to me doing snot and tears for a good 40 minutes and discussed all my treatment options... I doubt he got a lunch break that day.

As for scripts, I do mine on line, it takes about two days for them to be ready to collect, then maybe another day for the chemist to order meds in... I know I need to be organised so I don't run out. I pay £10 per month for a pre payment certificate, and I strongly advise crohnies to get one, I think I save about £50 per month!

Reading other peoples stories I feel pretty lucky with the NHS for all it's failings...

 

[rygon]

Ive just ordered a prepayment Cert. If you get 15 prescriptions within 12mnths its worth it. All going well I will have 12 just for pentasa, then I get my inhalers on top of that so it will be best every yr. Wish I knew about them when I 1st started.

After hearing how difficult and expensive health care is in America, why are so many ppl opposing Obamas thing on free health care??

 

[kenny]

Hi, I feel very fortunate to have Free Health Care here in Canada! I am now working full time w/health plan !!! I pay $160 a month and my employer pays that also! I get all my meds for $15/ prescription.

I wonder how much difference there is between provinces?

OHIP (Ontario health insurance) is free probably just like the all the other provinces but I think they have some different rules between them. No idea what they might be though.

I have to pay a fee like $20 or something for crutches from the hospital and unless you are a senior or on welfare you have to cover your own prescriptions with insurance or $$. And no social dental for the working stiff either. But pretty much everything else imaginable is covered by the province. Most people layer private insurance overtop of that to get semi-private or private rooms and dental, prescription and eye care, plus private disability insurance policies.

But the wait times can be a bit much since it is not really fee based like the US. All electives are based on need and severity so it can take a couple months to get a resection done. The doctors are also triaged in a way. Before I got diagnosed I was lucky to get an appointment with my GP in under 10 days. Now its almost a next day thing. And quite rightly if you need to be seen faster than that it is an emergency and thats where you should go anyway. I don't have any issues with that.

Getting a prescription filled by a pharmacy takes a good two hours but I never wait for them. I drop off a new script in person and just leave. I manage my list with the Drugstore from home on computer and go in a few days later to get stuff. If something in new like an antibiotic I'll go have lunch in the mall and walk around a bit while the fill it but most times its just renewals. Since my GF has private coverage all we pay is the dispensing fee and 20% of the drug cost. But like I said if your on welfare, mother allowance or other social assistance you get full drug coverage from big brother and don't need other insurance.

Right before my Dad died he was telling me I should go to the US and get my resection done and then sue the Ont govt for the cost. It is a new trend for people who think they need lifesaving surgery and feel they cant get it done fast enough up here. I told him I though that was just a backward way of looking at it and I was happy to wait my turn based on the need of everyone as opposed to only thinking about myself. He used to tell me I was half Commie and I guess thats the proof of it right there :ycool:

 

[GoJohnnyGo]

I can get my GP appointments within a day (GI is another story:ymad: ).

As for waiting for prescriptions, I guess the pharmacy I go to is well-stocked with my medicine. Only a five to ten minute wait for them to package it up and put the sticker on. I pay up front and submit it to Human Resources at work and they send me a cheque two weeks later (probably be even faster if I opted for direct funds transfer).

 

[Astra]

Yes Misty,
do you mean booking an ambulance when you're drunk, for a ride home? then dead right, bill them

The prepayment certificate saves me a fortune each month, Lishy only wish I'd have known about it years ago!

 

[mharvey90]

After hearing how difficult and expensive health care is in America, why are so many ppl opposing Obamas thing on free health care??

unfortunately, Obama's plan wasn't for "free health care." the original plan was for a "public option" which basically gives people the OPTION to enroll in a type of healthcare plan which is similar to how the NHS works, or how Medicare works here in the US. and of course, there were too many politicians here who fought hard against that :voodoo: :voodoo: :voodoo: so i don't see anything good happening in the health care department over here for a looong time:confused2:

 

[Guestly]

My husband is a paramedic, and I recon the NHS would be much better off if he dudnt regularly get called out (and I kid you not), to..

Broken finger nail
swollen "winkie"
ear ache
" I've got violent diahroea, I've been twice in 48 hours" (?????)
a rash on a toe....
Someone faking an epileptic fit
oh and the best.... The man who lay in front of a parked car and claimed to have been run over....

Charge these guys and stop them wasting time!

 

[merrywidow]

rygon does you surgery use online ordering? i use this way to order mine, then chemist then collects the prescritpition form the doctors and i can collect my medincines a few days later.
i dont paY for any of my medicenes as i have a perminant stoma.

 

[Crohn's 35]

Ambulances are billed where I am. That's one thing they ding ya for.

Yeah me too but it gets reimburst. Cheaper than a taxi :tongue: .

 

[rygon]

No it doesnt merrywidow. Had a look at their website and you can use snail mail. Might put in a suggestion to use email.

 

[Misty-Eyed]

Yes Misty,
do you mean booking an ambulance when you're drunk, for a ride home? then dead right, bill them

The prepayment certificate saves me a fortune each month, Lishy only wish I'd have known about it years ago!

Well I know of someone who almost got charged because she went into labour and called an ambulance. If the hospital would of sent her back home then she would of been charged but luckily for her she had it 20 minutes later lol.